


Promises

by talesofsymphoniac



Category: Tales of Series, Tales of Xillia
Genre: But there's no angst and everyone's friends, Canon Compliant, Crushes, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M, Missing Scene, Mostly me being self-indulgent, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, The Jude/Ludger is ambiguous, The Jude/Milla is one-sided
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 01:24:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9796190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesofsymphoniac/pseuds/talesofsymphoniac
Summary: Jude knows Milla better than anyone, but that doesn't mean he's stopped being surprised by her.Or, what really happened between Jude and Milla at the top of the Kijara Seafalls, anyway?





	

The climb up to the top of the waterfall was difficult, and there weren't many solid places to find footing even at the top. Still, it was definitely worth it, standing there with Milla by his side, surveying the majestic sight of the Kijara Seafalls before them. Milla smiled softly, her hair waving behind her, and Jude was a bit older and wiser now than he’d been when they’d met, but he was sure he’d never stop being blown away by Milla: her beauty, her strength, the way she silently exuded confidence and bolstered the spirits of those around her.

“You can see Nia Khera from here,” she said, pointing, and sure enough, when Jude followed the direction of her outstretched finger, he saw the hillside that had been Milla’s home for so long.

“This is really nice.”

“I have to agree,” Milla said, nodding briskly. “I’m glad I got to see it with you.”

Jude felt his face heat. Even though he’d gotten used to Milla’s unusually direct expressions of sentiment, she still managed to catch him off-guard. “R-right. Me too.” Milla didn’t say anything else, and Jude really didn’t expect her to. It was another thing about Milla that Jude understood; that she had wanted to share this moment with him meant more than words could express.

He wondered, not for the first time, if Doctor Haus had understood Celsius in the same way. “So, he brought Celsius up here?” he said after another moment of quiet. Milla turned towards him, meeting his eyes and giving him her attention, and Jude continued. “He must have really loved her.”

“I imagine so,” Milla said. “And Celsius certainly cherishes her memories of him.”

That didn’t really answer Jude’s question, even though he hadn’t explicitly asked it. He hesitated, then made the leap: “Do you think she loved him?”

Milla looked at him strangely, furrowing her brows like she did when she was trying to puzzle out the intricacies of human interaction. “Isn’t that what I said?” Jude was about to drop the subject entirely when Milla’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, I see.”

She pursed her lips and turned back toward the edge of the cliff, clearly thinking carefully about what to say. “It’s not really in a spirit’s nature to fall in love the way you humans imagine it.”

“O-oh,” Jude stumbled. He felt his heart sink and scolded himself for it. Her answer was hardly surprising, and yet it was hard not to feel a small sting of disappointment. Some part of him wanted to protest the way she’d lumped him in with humans in general, as if his research weren’t entirely built on understanding spirits, but he hushed that part of himself quickly. Milla hadn’t meant any offense.

She was watching him now, and seemed to realize her words had not been adequate. “It’s not impossible. I’ve been wrong about far more significant things. But you asked what I thought, and that’s what I think.”

Jude flinched. Milla’s honesty was another thing he loved about her, the way she said exactly what she meant and left no room for doubt. Sometimes it caused her to come across as blunt, but Jude found he didn’t mind much. Usually. Because there were still times, like now, when such frankness made him feel more like he was being scolded.

 _Pull yourself together, Jude._ He met her eyes. “Of course.”

He’d meant to reassure her, to show her that he understood what she was saying and was okay with it. He was a mature adult. She didn’t seem satisfied.

“Jude…” she began, hesitant, like she didn’t know if she was saying the right thing. “I know you know this, but… I can’t stay.”

“I know,” he said quickly.

“That’s not all.” She crossed her arms, gaze falling downward. “You know I love you dearly, Jude, even if perhaps not the way you wanted.”

Jude nearly fell off the rock he was standing on right into the river. Milla had never said anything like that, and even if Jude was fully aware that she, like everyone else in the party, knew about his feelings for her, he had appreciated the plausible deniability.  “N-no! You don’t have to-- I don’t expect--”

“I’m not ashamed of it,” Milla said, cutting him off and giving him a sharp look. “You shouldn’t be, either. There is nothing shameful about it.”

Jude was speechless. Another thing that still caught him off-guard at times: the way Milla knew and understood him just as well as he knew her.

“As I was saying,” Milla continued, undaunted as ever. “The request I made when we last parted: I still mean it.” Her eyes softened as she smiled at him. “I want you to live your life. You’ve done a good job, so far. I’m proud of you, Jude.”

Jude smiled too, still a little pink from earlier. “Thank you, Milla. I promise, I’ll keep going.”

Milla nodded, finally satisfied. “Good. After everything you’ve done, you deserve a happy ending. I believe that.” She uncrossed her arms, looking out again at the scene below them. They’d been up here for quite a while, Jude realized. They’d have to get back to Ludger and Celsius soon. Still, it really was beautiful, and the selfish part of Jude wanted to preserve this rare moment alone with Milla, the water rushing around them as it made its way toward the edge of the falls.

Milla spoke again, and Jude had to move closer to hear her over the noise around them. “Of all the incredible people I’ve met on this planet, I will always remember you, Jude.”

Jude’s eyes widened, and Milla smiled at him, that smile that was reserved for Jude. He reached for her hand, wondering if he was overstepping, but she took it firmly in hers, lacing their fingers together. “Hey, don’t sound so final,” he said, thinking back to the last time he’d held her hand in his. “We’ve still got to finish this.”

“Yes.” Milla nodded, back to business, though she kept Jude’s hand held firmly in hers. “We’ll get Elle back safely to Ludger.” Her eyebrows furrowed again, and she turned to face Jude, looking troubled. “Which reminds me, why did you say you weren’t ‘enamored’? I was so sure I got it right.”

“Milla!”

Jude started, stepping away from her in shock, and he would have stepped right off the rock they were standing on if Milla hadn’t grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back.

She looked quite amused. “Don’t slip.”

Jude stood up, his face burning as he regained his balance. “It’s not funny!” He took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself.

“It’s a little bit funny,” Milla replied. “So I was right, after all.”

Jude shook his head. “How could you even know about--” He cut himself off, and any hope of his blush fading was out the window at this point. He really had thought he’d been managing things well; no one else seemed to suspect anything!

“Jude, I know you better than anyone,” Milla said, and yes, Jude knew it, had already been surprised by it once today, thanks. But Milla wasn’t done: “I’ve definitely seen the way you look at him before.”

“Wh-what?”

“Huh,” Milla said, grabbing his arm as he slipped for the second time, though not in time to save his shoe from being soaked. “I didn’t expect you to actually slip.”

“Can we _not_ talk about this?” Jude said, fully humiliated now. “It’s all very… confusing, and not what I need to be thinking about right now, and--” He shook his head, rubbing at his forehead and wondering how he’d gotten into such a ridiculous situation.

Milla chuckled. “Alright. Though I must admit, the nuances of human attraction are very interesting. He and I are quite different in many aspects.”

Jude sighed resignedly. “At least the others aren’t here.” He’d never hear the end of it if Alvin or Leia caught wind of this particular conversation. “Listen, can we please just forget this? Just… pretend it never happened.”

“If you say so.” Milla hummed. “Well, speaking of Ludger, we should probably start heading back to him soon.”

Jude smiled, amused and exhausted in equal measure. “I guess you’re right.”

* * *

Celsius seemed to find Jude’s soaking wet clothes highly amusing, and Ludger looked torn between laughter and concern.

“The view alone was worth the trip,” Milla was saying. “And you should’ve seen Jude.”

“Milla!” Jude hissed. “I told you to pretend that never happened!”

“Ah! That’s right. I quite enjoyed it, to be honest. But since you found it so upsetting, I shall suppress the memory.”

Jude hesitated, well aware that Ludger and Celsius were eyeing them both curiously. “Well... I mean… You don’t have to forget it, but… just keep it between us, okay?” he finished lamely.

Milla looked pleased. “Very well. It shall be our secret.”

“Well, that was.... fun. On to the next place?”

Jude just wished he could decipher Ludger’s expression.

Then he sneezed, and Milla turned to him, concerned. “What’s wrong? Have you caught a cold?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just a normal physiological response.”  
  
“But you were splashed with a significant amount of water back there. I knew I should’ve--”

“M-milla! It’s fine! Honestly, I’m good.”

Ludger raised his eyebrows, lips turned up in a smirk. “What _were_ you two doing up there?”

Jude, who’d thought he was done blushing for the day, turned bright red at Ludger’s tone, full of insinuation. “I… I can’t tell you that!”

His denials only made Ludger’s eyebrows raise higher. Milla laughed, having the decency to look a little apologetic. “Sorry, Ludger’s reaction is just so amusing. It’s because of the way you’re talking, Jude. You’re making it sound like we did something scandalous!” Her eyes were glittering, enjoying the inside joke.

“Huh? No! It’s not that. We didn’t do that.”

“The harder you try to keep it a secret, the more people will wonder. It’s basic human nature.” Milla put her hands on her hips, looking far too delighted with herself.

Jude pursed his lips. “I understand that, but still.”

“I know. I’ll keep my promise.” Milla turned to Ludger, directing her next words to him. “Which means I can’t tell you. Sorry about that.”

Ludger nodded, still looking quite entertained. He shot Jude a wink, and Jude flushed again, though probably not for the reason Ludger was thinking. "Let's just get going already, please."

He wasn't sure he could take any more of this today.


End file.
